


Magic Marinette

by Marcii_Winters



Series: Magicverse One-Shots [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, F/M, Good Parent Emilie Agreste, Happy Ending, Lost Miraculous (Miraculous Ladybug), Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marcii_Winters/pseuds/Marcii_Winters
Summary: Hawk Moth has stolen the Ladybug Miraculous and is now after the Black Cat. However, Marinette is not as useless as Hawk Moth might think just because she doesn't have her Miraculous. After all, a Ladybug with magic all her own is a force to be reckoned with.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Magicverse One-Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142633
Comments: 6
Kudos: 107
Collections: Miraculous Magic





	Magic Marinette

**Author's Note:**

> This is an unconnected one-shot to a series I am in the process of writing. I am currently in the planning phase as I'm still developing the magic system and all the powers and whatnot. This is also my very first posted ML work, so I'm excited to see how well you like it!
> 
> Enjoy!~

Marinette drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying futilely to ignore the emptiness she now felt at the loss of her Miraculous. She _needed_ to get it back. Chat Noir still had his ring, so as long as he didn’t lose that either, they were safe. Already having stolen the Ladybug Miraculous, Hawk Moth could not be allowed to get his hands on the Black Cat too. The stakes were a lot higher now that Hawk Moth had discovered her identity. This would need to end today. At the very least her sweet, sweet kitty had turned and run away before he could recognize her and in the process, also drew the villain after him.

Marinette took a moment to calm herself with brief meditation and called upon her recent knowledge and training, moving a hand up to hover in front of her face. She had been practicing her own latent creation magic much more diligently these past few months; although she was nowhere near as powerful as the sorcerers that first created the Miraculous stones, she was definitely on her way. 

With a slow movement, the young hero waved her palm across her eyes and willed into existence a mask that, like Ladybug’s, could not be taken off in the standard way. The material formed over her eyes and stuck to her skin like tape, a bright light of magic sealing the edges tightly. She’d made sure to add in a layer of cloaking magic - albeit slightly weaker than she was used to - to protect her identity a bit better, now that she no longer had her earrings to do it for her. After her resounding success, she then set to work recreating her yo-yo to match her previous one as closely as she could. 

This proved to be much more difficult. Creating anything with an infinity variable took extreme power and exceptional skill. She needed the freedom to extend her yo-yo as far as she wanted to and the security that making its string infinitely durable would provide. Marinette’s brow furrowed in concentration, sweat beginning to drip down her forehead as she delved deep into her magical reserve. She’d been told it would grow the more she practiced her magic but for now, she tried to pull out as much as she could without completely draining it. She might need to use some during the upcoming fight. 

Marinette felt her hands begin to buzz pleasantly as she called forth her power, concentrating deeply on the kind of material her yo-yo needed to be and weaving the infinity spell as best as she could into every inch of the weapon. 

It took several painstaking minutes of raw magic flowing from her chest into her hands before she was done, leaving her muscles tense and aching. Opening her eyes, the teen looked down at the yo-yo in her hands and frowned a little. It was nowhere near as perfect as Ladybug’s but that was to be expected. The problem was that the infinity variable that she’d focused so hard on had failed to be properly implemented and it left her new weapon with some slight limitations. The string could only stretch up to 60 meters and, though its durability was still fairly strong, a Miraculous user with a sword—like Hawk Moth—could cut it if he tried hard enough. 

“This’ll have to do,” she muttered before quickly pulling on an inconspicuous hoody and some generic black tights. 

This in no way would protect her from any hits she might receive but it would protect her from being recognized at the very least; an added identity protector could never hurt. Marinette steeled her nerves one last time before she tossed out her new yo-yo and began to swing her way towards where her partner had led their nemesis. 

\------------------- 

Marinette landed on a nearby rooftop and looked over the edge to watch as Chat engaged Hawk Moth in what looked very much like a fencing match. Neither had noticed her arrival which gave her the chance to watch and strategize. 

Chat looked like he was struggling to keep up, Hawk Moth was seemingly an expert in swordplay while Chat himself was obviously still a student. She remembered him telling her that he did fencing in his civilian life and liked to say he was pretty decent against his peers but therein lay the problem. She could see that he probably _was_ decently skilled for someone his age but against an adult who looked like he’d practiced this sport for most of his life, he was severely outmatched. 

Marinette shook her head to bring her focus to a more important train of thought, finding her Miraculous. Her eyes scanned their foe with critical scrutiny until they locked onto Hawk Moth’s clenched fist, held protectively behind him. Without a doubt, he still had them in his hand. Which should’ve been obvious considering Miraculous suits didn’t tend to have _pockets_. 

Now, how could she get them back? Lucky Charm was obviously not an option and she was severely limited in how much magic she could wield outside of her suit. Just creating her yo-yo had considerably strained her poor muscles. Maybe she could steal the Butterfly instead? He _would_ be much weaker and, since Chat seemingly hadn’t used Cataclysm, he’d be able to run after him if Hawk Moth decided to flee. He would obviously need time to put on the Ladybug Miraculous even if he tried to do it immediately. In addition to that fact, Tikki was now magically bound to Marinette so the kwami could not be forced to give up the transformation phrase unless Marinette verbally renounced her (which she would never do). 

Okay, that seemed like a plan. If she could coat her yo-yo with something sticky and swipe the Butterfly, they would win. If she missed her throw, they would have to fight and with an untransformed Ladybug, she would no doubt be more of a liability to Chat as he tried to protect her. She only had one shot at this. 

Marinette slowly closed her eyes and conjured up her magic once again, this time creating a strong adhesive to wrap entirely around her yo-yo. She was _fairly_ successful in doing so and now had to get herself ready. The bluenette tried to stand and get in position but had to give herself a moment to rest after a sudden dizzy spell nearly forced her to her knees. She must have been dangerously low on magic. This would need to be wrapped up quickly. 

“Give it up, Chat Noir. I have already taken the Ladybug Miraculous. You cannot beat me alone.” Hawk Moth said, his voice sounding almost like that of an amused parent regarding an ignorant child. 

“Liar! Ladybug will come and we will take you down!” Chat shot back, his voice trying to convey confidence in an attempt to seem unfazed but Marinette could see his barely disguised anxiety. _Poor Kitty must be worried sick._

“You know, I really didn’t expect that boring girl to be the Almighty Ladybug. I can’t tell if she _purposely_ presented herself as meek and timid or if maybe ‘Ladybug’ was nothing but a façade, masking a scared little girl who relied on her partner to take all of the hits for her.” Marinette instantly guessed what Hawk Moth was trying to do and felt her heart speed up a little with worry. 

_Don’t take the bait, Chaton._

“Are you sure you aren’t describing yourself? I mean, we’ve fought hand-to-hand maybe once or twice before and every time you’ve run away defeated. Every other time we’ve fought, you’ve had some poor soul do the fighting for you while you sat at home like the coward you are.” Marinette smiled and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing and alerting everyone to her presence. _Good job, kitty._

“Now, enough talk. Come fight me like a man!” Chat called before he rushed in on the offense. Once again, the two began to fight, the clanging of sword and baton filling the empty street as they exchanged blows. 

Marinette narrowed her eyes as she watched, waiting for any opening that might give her a window to steal the Butterfly. She didn’t have to wait long. It seemed her partner had gotten a little more used to Hawk Moth’s fighting style and successfully parried an attack that actually left the villain stumbling a bit. Marinette jumped on the opportunity and quickly tossed out her yo-yo with a practiced flick, the zipping of the string halting what would’ve been Chat’s counter attack. In one glorious moment, the Butterfly Miraculous, with Nooroo still inside, was ripped off of the collar of one Gabriel Agreste and being pulled away by a very triumphant Ladybug. 

Gabriel fully tripped when he belatedly tried to dodge the incoming yo-yo and fell on his back, gripping the earrings tightly in a clenched fist. 

“Ladybug!? How!? I have your Miraculous!” Gabriel actually looked flustered and quickly moved to stand. 

Marinette swung herself down onto the street and landed right next to Chat Noir, smiling at the look of shock on both of their faces. 

“I don’t need a Miraculous to perform magic. It significantly boosts my ability but I am not helpless without it.” Marinette stepped forward, her yo-yo clutched tightly in her fist as she moved towards him. 

“Now, give me back my Miraculous. You’ve lost.” She held up a hand just as Gabriel moved to presumably put on the Ladybug earrings. “Before you try that, Tikki and I are now magically bonded and she will refuse to transform you even if you know the phrase.” 

“I-I...” For the first time in his life, Gabriel was speechless. He’d been so close to bringing her back! He’d thought that with obtaining the Ladybug Miraculous, he’d won! Chat Noir was nowhere near as clever as his partner, so as long as he defeated him in direct combat, he would get the Black Cat Miraculous too! He should’ve won! 

“If I have to ask you again, Chat will forcibly pry them from your hands. You no longer have the strength to oppose us. Give up.” 

At hearing his name, Chat finally snapped out of his shock and flashed her the brightest smile Marinette had ever seen. She felt her cheeks grow warm and jerked her head towards the villain in front of them. Chat nodded and turned to address the now defeated resident supervillain. 

“Honestly, I’m not surprised that it was you all along. Was it worth it? Pushing away everyone important to you for some grand delusion that you might get a Wish even knowing the price you’d have to pay? Was it worth endangering your household? Endangering your son?” Chat’s expression changed to one of horror the minute he remembered something. 

“Speaking of your son, didn’t you almost kill him? The first time you akumatized his bodyguard into Gorizilla?” Marinette’s eyes widened as she too recalled the incident, her expression contorting into one of equal horror and disgust. 

“I-I thought he might be...well you, Chat Noir. I had to be sure...” Gabriel had the good sense to look ashamed at the reminder. 

“You were right.” 

Marinette recoiled at the admission and switched her gaze to the cat hero standing next to her. Now it was Gabriel’s turn to look horrified. Chat rubbed the back of his neck and let his shoulders fall a little bit, a gesture very familiar to anyone who knew Adrien. 

“I’m sorry, milady. I didn’t want to reveal myself like this but...I kind of had to. I have a lot to say.” Chat then sucked in a deep breath and once again straightened his back, his eyes catching Gabriel’s in a way that was very reminiscent of his father. 

“Father, you have consistently, frequently, and knowingly put me in danger countless times because of your selfish desires. You spent the entirety of my teenage years micromanaging every little thing about my life while simultaneously being entirely absent from it. You have shown me that all I’ll ever be is a disappointment to you and now that I know who you are, it makes so much sense. Because of you, I have died more times than I can even count and even though you were unaware, had you paid me any kind of attention, you would have realized how troubled I am. 

“I’m so, so glad that I found people like Marinette and my Lady to show me how I deserve to be treated. They alone have been a rock for me, both as Adrien and as Chat Noir. It’s mainly because of them that you are not a pile of ashes right now. They’ve helped me start to come to terms with your abuse and realize that I am worth more than your opinion. I wouldn’t have been able to continue being Chat Noir without them. I refuse to let down the most important people in my life by letting you break me again.” Chat moved over towards the man and gently opened his fist, grabbing the earrings from his now slack grip and handing them back to Ladybug. 

“I will not forgive you. I can’t. Not right now. But Ladybug and Marinette have also taught me about forgiveness so maybe, by the time you get out, we might have something worth salvaging.” 

Despite the swarm of frantic thoughts and feelings after such a huge reveal, Ladybug managed to push that aside for the moment and just support her partner. She stuck the earrings back in her ears and placed a hand on Chat’s shoulder, rubbing it soothingly in an attempt to comfort him. Tikki once again materialized by Marinette’s side but kept silent as she tuned into the exchange. 

“Adrien...your mother...she can still be saved.” Gabriel croaked; his throat suddenly dry. 

Marinette felt him tense under her hand but remained where he was, trying to draw strength from his partner’s touch. 

“What do you mean?” Chat’s voice wavered slightly, the first unfiltered bit of emotion he’d shown since he recognized his father. It seemed he was trying really hard to remain stoic in his presence. 

“The reason I was searching for the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous is because I wanted to use the Wish to wake your mother up. She’s not dead. She’s in a magical coma.” 

The hero clenched his fists and backed away ever so slightly, subconsciously moving closer towards his partner. Gabriel continued. 

“She was the original holder of the Peacock. When we first found it, Duusu warned us that the Miraculous was damaged and that it wasn’t safe to even wear it, let alone transform. We...didn’t listen. Emilie transformed anyway and _the look on her face, Adrien_ ; I couldn’t take that away from her. Had I known then what I know now, I would’ve at least given her the Butterfly instead. 

“From that day, we both spent weeks exploring our powers and your mother quickly fell in love with Duusu. She so badly wanted to be a hero, to protect you and to protect Paris. She was always a beacon of light, a force of pure good. She was also surprisingly much better at understanding this strange magic that we’d discovered and spent a lot of time discovering many abilities that better suited her idea of a hero. 

“She...fell ill on the flight back to Paris. She’d been having dizzy spells for most of our time in Tibet and despite how worried I got, she always waved it off. Two days after our return, she fell asleep and not a single doctor could wake her up. It was magically induced; modern medicine could do nothing to help her. 

“She’s been sleeping in a sanctuary underneath the mansion that I had built years ago, barely kept alive by breathing tubes and IV drips. She can only be awakened by the Wish. There are no longer any sorcerers alive that can repair the Peacock Miraculous.” 

Chat stared at him in silence, his body trembling with barely restrained emotion. Inside, he was breaking. His mother, whom he’d never even gotten to say goodbye to, whose voice he’d already started to forget, whose love he missed more than anything, whose smile could brighten up his whole world, was not only alive but there was a guaranteed way to save her. He could save his _m_ _ère_ _!_

Chat tentatively turned to look at Ladybug, a plea ready to be made until he caught the look in her eyes. She wasn’t at all upset or angry or even sad at the news of his mother. He knew that look and it filled him with such hope because that look meant she had a plan. She gave him a warm smile and went into the details of her plan. 

“Seeing as I am now the Guardian of the Miraculous, I have been expanding my abilities on complex creation and purification magic with the help of Tikki and some very helpful books the previous Guardian left behind. I can’t promise anything but I might be able to repair the Peacock Miraculous and wake Mme. Agreste.” 

Chat’s eyes began to sting with tears and he felt no shame in letting them fall freely down his cheeks. The blond moved in suddenly to pull Marinette into a tight, grateful hug. The bluenette smiled and returned the embrace with a gentle squeeze, ignoring Gabriel’s shocked, desperate, and pleading expression. 

“Ma-Ladybug, if you want to do it now, you’ll have to dispel your magic and transform. With the magic boost my Miraculous gives you and all your concentration exercises, I’m sure you’ll be able to fix the Peacock!” Tikki chirped, floating up to sit on her shoulder.

Marinette pulled away from her partner after one last squeeze before she nodded. “Right. Chat, hear anybody in the buildings?” 

Chat took a moment to gather his composure and strained his enhanced hearing to listen for any breathing around them besides their own. His ears flicked in every direction and stayed there for a few moments before eventually, he shook his head. “You’re good, LB. Do you want me to look away?” 

Marinette smiled and shook her head gently. “I would’ve revealed myself to you after all this anyway, especially considering _you’ve_ already revealed who _you_ are.” 

Chat nodded and with one last courage-gathering breath, Marinette dispelled her mask and her yo-yo, pulling the energy back into herself to fill her reserves once again. For a moment, Chat was silent, even Gabriel seemed to surprisingly respect the importance of this reveal. Or he just really didn’t want to give either of them a reason to take him straight to the police before he could see his Emilie. Probably the latter. 

Chat broke into a wide grin before he started laughing and Marinette felt her heart sink before he brought his hands to take hers. “I’m supposed to be the unlucky one, how could I have such an amazing partner both in and out of the mask! Oh, I feel dumb. There’s no one else it could have been! Of course, you’re Ladybug. I’m so glad it’s you, Marinette.” His smile instantly turned her heart to goo and she had to suppress the urge to squeal and giggle because the new knowledge that this was also _Adrien_ saying these things was almost too much for her. 

“Tikki, spots on.” A familiar flash of light and magic wrapped around her form and in Marinette’s place stood a smiling Ladybug in her now complete glory. 

“Okay, M. Agreste. We will take you home to watch the process and speak with your wife but after that, you will be taken in to the police. There is no way we are letting you get away with what is essentially domestic terrorism.” 

“That’s...understandable. As long as I can see my wife healthy and alive, I don’t care what happens to me.” 

“Then, let’s go.” 

\--------------------- 

The group, along with Nathalie, now stood in the underground sanctuary beneath the Agreste Mansion where, for the past few years, Emilie Agreste’s comatose body had been hidden away and preserved. Ladybug, with Chat Noir firmly at her side, slowly made her way to the center of the room and stopped at the foot of Emilie’s medical pod. 

“Okay, hand me the Peacock Miraculous.” Nathalie, who’d been informed of the situation when they arrived, pulled the brooch off of her lapel and handed it over to Ladybug’s awaiting hand with reluctance. It seemed she still didn’t trust the heroes not to just take the jewel and run despite Gabriel’s sudden alliance with them. 

Ladybug closed her fingers gently around the Miraculous and let her eyes fall closed. She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out, putting her mind in a space that would allow her to draw on her magic with more precision and less effort. In this space, Tikki’s voice could easily carry through to her and she never failed to calm and reassure the young hero that she was perfectly capable of doing this. 

In her mind, she saw the Miraculous of the Peacock appear, only it looked to be made of paper. There was a tear that cut diagonally across the fanned brooch and a little entity was curled up on top of the paper. Ladybug called out her name gently, for the entity could be none other than Duusu herself. 

“Duusu. I am Ladybug and the current Guardian. Please allow me to fix you and your Miraculous stone.” 

The kwami stirred and weakly floated over to greet the new Guardian, a strained smile on her little face. 

“Ladybug. Guardian. Please do what you must. Save my Chosen.” 

Ladybug smiled and moved to more closely examine the magical representation of the Miraculous of the Peacock while Duusu moved to rest on her shoulder. The torn part of the paper, fortunately, was still connected to the rest of it by a small bridge of paper and made repairing it, in theory, much, much easier. 

“You need to magically seal the tear by connecting the pieces and infusing it with magic. The Miraculous will draw your magic towards the damaged area and repair itself slowly. In the meantime, you need to make sure the two pieces are always touching and try not to infuse too much power at one time.” Duusu instructed. “Too much will tear it entirely.” 

Ladybug nodded and placed her hands gently atop both separated pieces, bringing forth a bundle of magic and forcibly straining it when it reached her wrist to reduce the spread into a thin, slow flowing stream. Ever so slowly, Ladybug pushed the two pieces of paper together and let the magic seal a small piece of the tear before she pushed it further together. 

The process was long and tedious, with an emphasis on precision working to keep her pace slow. After what felt like several long minutes, her arms began to hurt from the constant strain and her hands became colder and colder. Tikki continued to reassure her and helped her keep her focus on the task in front of her. Finally, as she started to feel like she was running on empty, the final piece was mended together. 

With a gasp, Ladybug felt her knees collapse from under her as she returned to the real world, the strain of the ritual finally taking its toll. Chat was there instantly at her side, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders and keeping her somewhat upright. 

“Ladybug! Are you okay? Did it work?” The hero only smiled at her partner and gave the barest of nods. 

Just then, interrupting Chat’s celebration, a quiet groan echoed throughout the sanctuary. Gabriel rushed past the teens, who were collapsed on the floor, and pulled open the container that held Emilie. Her face scrunched up as she adjusted to the light and Agreste Sr. felt a massive wave of relief flood through him, bringing the normally stoic man to tears.

_"Ma belle plume, you’ve come back to me,”_ he whispered to her, pressing his forehead to hers affectionately. 

“Gabriel? What’s going on?” Her voice was slightly strained from years of silence and Gabriel immediately pulled out a flask of water from his coat pocket. 

“Shh, I’ll tell you all about it soon. Drink.” Gabriel held the flask to her lips and she drank greedily the moment it touched her lips. 

Ladybug smiled and felt her transformation fall away, an exhausted Tikki flittering over to lay in the crook of her Chosen’s neck. “You did it, Marinette. I’m so incredibly proud of you,” the kwami whispered. 

The girl smiled wider at her praise and she looked up at Adrien, who had also detransformed, staring longingly at the scene. 

“Go, Kitty. I’m sure she misses you.” Adrien glanced down at his partner, an uncertain look on his face. Now that she knew he was her chaton, it was much easier to read him outside of the mask. 

He was scared, and worried. It was understandable, really. He’d spent so much time without her, grieved her, and even moved on from her. He never thought he’d ever get the chance to say all the things he wanted to say. And not only was that a possibility, it was now a reality. 

“Are you sure? I-I don’t want to just leave you here.” 

“Then help me up, silly kitty. I’ll go with you. Always.” 

Adrien gave her a watery smile and moved to help her up, steadying her as she regained her balance and strength. Slowly, the pair made their way over to his Mother and Father, stopping a few short meters away from her capsule. 

“ _M-_ _Mère?”_

Emilie turned her head and her eyes went wide with surprise at the sight of her precious boy. 

“Adrien? My sweet boy. You’ve grown so much. Come here, come here, sweetie.” Adrien obeyed and stepped up to her side, watching as her hand came up to wipe away the tears he didn’t know he was crying. 

“Oh, look at you. As handsome as ever,” she cooed, her thumb rubbing his cheek affectionately. “Oh, but you’re so skinny! Poor baby, are you eating enough?” That seemed to be what broke the dam and Adrien moved to hug his mother for the first time in years. Marinette rubbed circles in his back and even felt her own tears begin to fall. 

She was so glad she was able to save Mme. Agreste. Her Kitty would need her terribly after what would happen next. Maybe now he might have the parent he rightfully deserved. After a moment, the pair pulled away and Emilie smiled at the young girl attached to her son’s side. 

“And who might this be, _mon chéri?”_

“Oh! Right!” Adrien laughed a little and stepped back to wipe his face with his sleeve, wrapping an arm around Marinette’s waist. “This is the person responsible for bringing you back, _Mère!_ My wonderful partner, Marinette!” 

Emilie’s smile only widened at the look of pure happiness and adoration in her baby’s eyes as he squeezed her gently to his side, the woman reaching a hand out to the girl in question. 

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Marinette! Thank you so much for bringing me back to my family. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Marinette shook her hand and smiled back at her, trying and failing to suppress a blush at the way Adrien looked down at her. 

“It’s very nice to meet you too, Mme. Agreste. It was really no trouble. I was glad to do it.” 

“Oh! You have such a bright light around you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone’s so bright. I wholeheartedly approve of her, Adrien!” 

Adrien choked and Marinette felt her head spin from the sudden rush of blood to her face. “Maman! It’s not like that!” Suddenly, surprisingly, he recovered from his embarrassment and flashed a smug grin instead. “Well, not yet anyway.” 

Marinette squeaked and hid her face in her blond idiot’s arm. They had so much to talk about after this and that was a major point that needed addressing. On the bright side, it was incredibly lucky that her two favorite people in the world were actually the same person. That made things a lot easier for her. 

“We will definitely talk about that later but right now, we have a job to do, _Minou_. M. Agreste, are you ready?” 

Gabriel sighed a little bit and felt his smile drop a little, turning to look at the girl that had given him so much trouble these past three years. “Can I have a moment alone with my wife?” 

Marinette nodded and gently pulled Adrien along to give them some privacy. 

\------------------ 

_“Ma belle plume_ , I need to apologize to you.” He started, his eyes falling and avoiding her gaze. 

“What do you mean, _mon beau papillon?”_ Emilie gently cupped his cheeks and tried to raise his head to look at her. 

“I...I’ve done some things, some bad things in my quest to bring you back. You’ll learn about it all eventually but, I need to apologize to you beforehand because I don’t know if you will stick by me when you learn what I’ve done. 

“When you fell asleep and didn’t wake up...I thought you were dead or dying. I thought I’d killed you by not heeding Duusu’s warning. I was so lost in my grief. I didn’t know who I was without you. I don’t expect to be forgiven; I know I don’t deserve it—but, please know that I love you with all my heart. Everything I did was to bring you back and now that you’re here, I’m okay with accepting the consequences of my actions.” 

Emilie listened quietly with a sympathetic frown on her face, her eyes drawn to the now dim light surrounding her beloved. Oh, how far he had fallen. He used to be so bright, full of life and hope and creativity. And now he was almost unrecognizable. But there was still light. It was shrouded in darkness, smothered until it could barely be seen but there was still a light. 

She would help him rediscover that light. After everything she put him through, though his actions were his own, she felt the need to try. There was no way to know how bad he had gotten at that moment but she would have to console herself with the fact that he could still be saved with a little love. 

“I must go now, _ma plume_. Please look after Adrien for me. I love you.” With one last kiss, Gabriel stood and made his way towards the teenagers a short ways away. 

“I am ready.” 

\-------------------- 

The heroes called the police soon afterwards and both Gabriel and Nathalie were arrested for what was essentially domestic terrorism. Adrien had also called for an ambulance to make sure his mother would not be suffering from any long term effects due to her coma. Both he and Marinette rode in the back of the ambulance with her and spent the rest of the day sitting and telling her of all that had happened since she’d been gone.

Later that night, the heroes found themselves in Marinette’s bedroom. Marinette moved to sit on her chaise while Adrien initially opted for standing awkwardly by her trap door. Neither had spoken on the ride home. There was too much to say and both had used the time they spent in silence to gather their thoughts into something that might pass as cohesive. Eventually, Adrien started.

“Well, it seems we have _a lot_ to talk about.” Adrien nervously rubbed the back of his neck and looked up from the floor to face her.

“Y-yep, come sit.” 

Adrien moved over slowly, taking a seat on her chaise next to her but maintaining a respectable distance. For a while, they just sat in silence, both of them still trying to draw out the moment before things got complicated. 

Adrien spoke first. 

“You were...incredible, Princess. When Hawk Moth took your Miraculous, I was so scared. I thought he would hurt you. He always seemed like the kind of man who held no reservations about hurting children and given how much he seemed to hate us, I was afraid he might...” He trailed off then, not wanting to even finish that horrific thought. 

“But he didn’t. You’re okay. And not only were you okay, you were still fighting! You used magic! Without a Miraculous!” Adrien couldn’t help the look he sent her way, his eyes sparkling with awe and adoration. 

“I didn’t think you could be any more incredible than you already were. And then you saved mom...” He paused for a moment and sniffled at the reminder that he finally had his mother back. He felt a hand on his back and smiled again, turning to look over at his wonderful Marinette. 

“I’m so glad the two girls I fell in love with are the same person.” Marinette, for the millionth time that day, felt her face ignite in a blush. 

“Y-you...loved Marinette? I-I thought you only loved Ladybug?” 

“At first. But the more I visited you as Chat Noir, the more I learned about you, the more I saw the side of you that you never showed to Adrien, the harder I fell for _you_ , too. You snuck up on me, Marinette and...I felt so bad about it, like I was being unfaithful to Ladybug for liking another girl, even though I wasn’t dating _either_ of you. Your incredible luck must have rubbed off on me. I don’t have to choose.” Adrien moved a hand to cup her cheek and Marinette leaned into his touch just a little. She was torn between comfortable familiarity and absolute emotional chaos. 

“What a coincidence,” she replied a while after he’d finished. “After all your visits as Chat Noir, I got to see a side of you that _you_ never showed to Ladybug. A softer side, more genuine. With how much you joked around with Ladybug, I didn’t really believe you loved me until after Glaciator.” 

Adrien’s eyes widened a little before he frowned a bit. “You didn’t think I was serious, Bugaboo?” 

Marinette shook her head softly. “I know you’ve always said you loved me but because I’d never seen you act seriously and, because of all the other people that claimed to like Ladybug too, I never let myself believe it. You didn’t know the real me, not really. Of course, I’m to blame for that specifically because of how protective I was of my identity but, Ladybug has always been the best part of me turned up to 11. I always thought ‘there’s no way he would love me if he knew how much of mess I really am.’” She shrugged softly and moved to lean her head against his shoulder. 

“So, I tried not to fall in love with you. I was afraid that if you ever saw the real me, you would run the other way. I know it’s stupid considering who you are. I know you would never do that. But I convinced myself you would regardless. I pushed away your advances, told myself you didn’t mean it. 

“And then you started visiting me. Marinette me. And you liked me, or at least enjoyed my company. I still tried to lock away my heart from you out of fear that if anything ever went wrong, I’d lose the most important person in my life. But of course, like the sneaky little cat that you are, you snuck through my defenses too and found a comfortable place in my heart.” Marinette looked up to see a smug grin spread across his face. She held a finger up at him in warning to keep quiet. She wasn’t done and his teasing would only make her want to keep the rest to herself. 

He chuckled a little and raised his hands in surrender. She continued. “Now there I was, my heart being pulled in two directions between the two boys I loved and at that point, I just wanted to give up and switch to girls. At least I _understand_ girls.” Adrien laughed a little before she continued. “But then, my famous Ladybug luck pulled through for me and I realized just how fuckin’ stupid we are.” 

Adrien’s mouth dropped in mock scandalization while a hand came up to his chest. “My Lady! You shouldn’t use such vulgar language! It’s unbecoming of a superhero!” 

Marinette giggled and stuck her tongue out at him, shaking her head. “We really are incredibly oblivious. We put ourselves in a love square, Adrien. That ‘mystery boy’ I always talked about was you. Adrien you.” 

Adrien once again let his jaw drop though this time in a more genuine reaction. “I-I was your mystery boy?” At Marinette’s confirmation, Adrien grew just the tiniest bit horrified. 

“I was my own rival!?” Marinette laughed at his surprise and nodded softly. 

“You were! And now that I know you two aren’t completely different people, I can't feel anything but happy. My two favorite people are just one person.” 

Adrien’s ‘horror’ dissipated quickly and couldn’t help but smile, _his_ cheeks now taking their turn to dust pink. He moved to cup both of Marinette’s cheeks with gentle hands and rested his forehead against hers, their noses slightly brushing against each other. 

“My Lady, my Princess, my Marinette. Will you go out with me? I promise I’ll dial back the puns for our first date.” 

His question was answered with a laugh and a gentle, loving smile, the girl giving a soft but eager nod. “I would love to, _mon minou_.”


End file.
